photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State junior Anderson Bateman swims during the 100-yard freestyle in the 6A boys state swim and dive meet on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Lenexa.

LENEXA — The Free State and Lawrence boys swim and dive teams concluded their seasons on Saturday in the 6A state boys swim and dive meet at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center.

Free State finished 12th in the state with 92 team points, while the Lions earned 16 points from senior Alex Oral. The Firebirds improved upon last year’s placement, finishing a spot higher in 2026.

“This team is a very close team, and I think that helped us continue to show up and put in the effort,” Free State coach Janna Skinner said. “When teams enjoy working together, I think it makes a big difference.”

Senior Owen Carnagey said the team has been like “one big family” since the first day, and that despite the sport being more individual, the Firebirds were always spending time with each other both in and out of the pool.

“It’s always fun to be around them, all ages,” Carnagey said. “We had a little more edge (on Saturday), a little more adrenaline for the race.”

For the Lions, Oral placed ninth in the 100-yard breaststroke with a 1:03.12 time. His time was 1.25 seconds faster than his seed time. Oral also took 10th in the 100-yard butterfly with a 55.67-second race, which was over a second faster than his seed time.

“I felt pretty good,” Oral said. “It’s bittersweet because I think I’m going to be done after this. I’ve spent a lot of time doing this, and it’s been fun… I’m really happy with the way it ended.”

Oral dealt with a shoulder injury last summer, which prevented him from swimming as much as he wanted to going into his senior year. That gave him some doubt about whether he’d be able to make it to the third day of the state meet.

But with an 11th place prelim time in the 100-yard butterfly and a 12th-place prelim time in the 100-yard breaststroke, Oral secured his spot in the final day of the swim season.

“I was glad to make it here,” Oral said. “I had a lot of doubts going into this year, so I’m glad to finish strong and be able to come out faster than I have been before.”

Oral was the lone Lawrence swimmer to compete in the final day of the meet, but he wasn’t the only Chesty Lion in the building. Teammates and peers cheered him on from the crowd and gave him some appreciated support.

“It was cool to be able to represent, but it was a little stressful,” Oral said. “I think (the teammates’ support) helped a lot today. It helped me get out of my head a little. It’s nice to know those people were there.”

Free State’s 200-yard medley relay team placed 15th in the meet at 1 minute, 45.91 seconds. For the Firebirds’ other relays, the team placed 10th in the 200-yard freestyle at 1:31.52, and the Firebirds took ninth in the 400-yard freestyle at 3:22.31, dropping over three seconds off their time for the 400-yard freestyle final.

The Firebirds’ ninth-place finish gave them 18 team points, which led to the team leapfrogging Shawnee Mission South and Shawnee Mission West in the team score, as both teams finished tied with 91 points.

“They finished with a season best (in the 400-yard freestyle relay) — their time was better than last year,” Skinner said. “We had a lot of positives.”

Junior Anderson Bateman was the star of the show for Free State, as he wound up with all-state honors for his 29 points.

“That was really awesome,” Bateman said. “I was really hoping to move up at least one place (in the 100-yard freestyle), and I was able to do that. Getting third was really a blessing.”

He placed third in the 100-yard freestyle, finishing in 47.29 seconds, which was nearly a full second of improvement from his seed time. Bateman placed sixth in the 50-yard freestyle with a 21.73-second time. He dropped 0.43 seconds off his prelim race time.

“His ability to zone in and focus on what he wants to do… he’s really thought a lot about race strategy this year has helped a lot,” Skinner said.

Sophomore Gavin McIntosh placed sixth in the diving portion of the meet and was the second-highest placing non-senior in the meet. He scored 410.25 points and improved from a 12th-place finish in last year’s state meet to sixth.

“He has a lot of poise for someone as young as he is,” Skinner said. “That’s going to help him get better. The diving this year was very good and very impressive across the board. It’s very hard to compete with that, but he showed up and put in the work.”

Free State freshman Sam Bauch reached the podium by placing sixth in the 100-yard butterfly with a 53.90-second time. Senior Ewan Campbell placed 16th in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing in 59.36 seconds.

Campbell was one of a few seniors on the Free State team who concluded their swim careers. Although the Firebirds had a light senior class, they were able to keep everyone engaged and focused in practice while also having fun and goofing off at the right times. Skinner said their personalities made a difference for the team.

“It was exciting, but it was also very nerve-racking,” Carnagey said. “It was the most nervous I’ve ever been for a meet, knowing it’s my last time after 13 years swimming. But I was also excited to go out there and finish strong for my last time.”

Free State will bring back six swimmers and two divers from this year’s state team, while Lawrence will bring back three swimmers and a diver from this state team.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Alex Oral takes his mark in the 100-yard butterfly in the 6A boys state swim and dive meet on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Lenexa.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore diver Gavin McIntosh raises his hand before the diving finals of the 6A boys state swim and dive meet on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Lenexa.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State junior Anderson Bateman swims the 100-yard freestyle in the 6A boys state swim and dive meet on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Lenexa.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State senior Ewan Campbell swims the 100-yard backstroke in the 6A boys state swim and dive meet on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Lenexa.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Gavin McIntosh dives in the 6A boys state swim and dive meet on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Lenexa.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State freshman Sam Bauch swims in the 100-yard butterfly in the 6A boys state swim and dive meet on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Lenexa.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Gavin McIntosh dives in the 6A boys state swim and dive meet on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Lenexa.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State junior Anderson Bateman emerges from under the water during the 50-yard freestyle in the 6A boys state swim and dive meet on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Lenexa.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Alex Oral swims in the 100-yard butterfly in the 6A boys state swim and dive meet on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Lenexa.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Alex Oral swims in the 100-yard breaststroke in the 6A boys state swim and dive meet on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Lenexa.